Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable made an unintended mound visit during the first inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, triggering an automatic pitching change under MLB rules. With one out in the inning, Venable went to the mound intending to appeal a play where he believed a runner missed third base on an RBI single. This visit constituted the White Sox’s second mound visit to starter Noah Schultz in the inning, as pitching coach Zach Bove had already visited earlier.
Under baseball regulations, each pitcher is allowed one mound visit per inning. A second visit to the same pitcher requires an automatic pitching change unless there are injury or equipment concerns. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt alerted the umpires to the rule violation. Schultz had allowed a leadoff single, struck out a batter, surrendered another single, and hit a batter to load the bases before the second visit occurred. Angel Martínez’s two-run single had given Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the inning.
Reliever David Sandlin entered the game and escaped the first inning but was charged with six runs over 5 ⅓ innings pitched. Cleveland extended its lead significantly when Martínez hit a grand slam off Sandlin in the fifth inning. The final score was Cleveland 8, Chicago 2.
Venable acknowledged the error in his postgame comments, calling it “an inexcusable mistake” and taking full responsibility. He noted that while the blunder forced an earlier pitching change than anticipated, it did not significantly alter the team’s overall game plan, as a shortened outing for Schultz had been planned with Sandlin slated for bulk innings. The 43-year-old Venable is in his second year as White Sox manager after previously serving as an associate manager with the Texas Rangers.
At the time of the game, the White Sox held a 59-56 record and led the AL Central, while the Guardians stood at 58-59, tied for second place with Minnesota and two games behind Chicago. The White Sox entered the contest on a four-game losing streak.
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